Personalize content

How to use contact field data to display personalized content for each individual recipient in emails, SMS, forms, and landing pages.

Personalized content displays differently for each contact based on data stored on the contact card.

The most common example is a personalized email greeting that addresses the contact by name. Personalization works in emails, SMS, forms, and landing pages.

A personalized greeting in an email.

How personalized content works

When a contact is identified in an eMarketeer component, that component can pull data from the contact card. Emails and SMS always identify the contact, since they are targeted to specific contacts at send time. Forms and landing pages can also personalize when the contact is identified — for example via a personal link.

Details tab of a contact card with First name, Last name, Email, Mobile and Company filled in

Take the contact Sebastian Olsson as an example. Any data stored on a contact card field can be used in a component's text, URL, or HTML content. With First name available, you can greet the contact informally — "Hi Sebastian." With Last name and Salutation available, you can use a formal greeting — "Dear Mr. Olsson."

An email is rarely sent to a single recipient, so the important part is that every recipient has the same fields populated for a consistent message. When a contact lacks data, a fallback value can be used.

Storing contact data for personalization

The most common ways to gather contact data are CRM sync, Excel import, and forms.

Importing via Excel

Importing via Excel lets you set the data on each contact by preparing the sheet before upload. In this example, First name, Last name, Email, Company, and Personal Code are imported for two contacts.

Excel sheet with five columns prepared for import

You can import an Excel file as part of sending an email or SMS, or beforehand into a contact list. Whichever path you choose, the column-mapping step is crucial — each column must match a contact card field.

In this example, Personal Code is a custom field. Custom fields are non-standard contact card fields. Add custom fields under: Account Settings → Customize → Contact card fields (administrator role required).

Column mapping screen during Excel import showing source columns matched to contact card fields

Using contact data in a component

Add personalized data to any text field using the Personalize option in the toolbar.

Personalize icon in the Text toolbar of the email editor, marked with an arrow

The menu lists all available contact card fields, company account fields, and campaign fields.

Personalize dialog listing contact card fields, account data and campaign fields

Clicking a field inserts a code snippet at the cursor. The snippet for First name looks like this:

<% contact field="firstname" fallback="" %>

The fallback value handles contacts that lack the field. Edit the text between the fallback="" quotes.

Adding Hello <% contact field="firstname" fallback="valued customer" %> to your email renders as:

• Hello Sebastian — if the contact's first name is Sebastian.
• Hello valued customer — if the first name is not available.

Custom field syntax

Standard fields use the syntax above. Custom fields need an extra type="custom" attribute:

<% contact field="personal_code" fallback="" type="custom" %>

When writing snippets by hand, forgetting the type attribute is a common mistake — it is not required for standard fields.

Where you can add personalization

Email sender info

Email sender info fields with a merge tag typed into the Subject field

Text content

Big Headline editor with a merge tag inserted after the word Hi

Links and URLs

Link URL and caption fields with a personal code merge tag in the URL

HTML

HTML editor showing a conditional personalization block

Personalization in HTML with a conditional statement. The block is visible only to contacts with the value "prospect" for the contact category field.

Other places

• In forms — fields display only if the contact is identified, such as on the thank-you page, in a confirmation email, or via a personal link.
• In certain automations — for example, the lead description text for SuperOffice automations.
• In SMS.